A dystopian thriller with a touch of romance

In the fast-paced Legend by Marie Lu the action never stops!  The story takes place in futuristic Los Angeles - there's no "United States" any more, just an ending war between the Republic and the Colonies - and it's told in alternating chapters by the two main characters, both 15 years old.  Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal; he's trying desperately to find a cure for the plague that has infected his little brother. June is brilliant and wealthy, heading for a prestigious career in the Republic's military.  When June's brother is killed, Day is the prime suspect - she's out to get him, but when their paths finally cross...a lot changes.  Besides falling for each other, they learn something really nasty that the Republic government is up to.  How can they put a stop to it, when Day is captured and his execution date is set?  Younger middle schoolers may not like the violence, but older students (and, yes, high school kids), especially fans of "The Hunger Games"-type books, won't be able to put this one down.

"...the labyrinth was empty. Dean had disappeared."

Okay, time travel fans, The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin is a good one for you.  Dean's just goofing around as he walks through the labyrinth in Blackhope Tower, but poof!  He disappears, and his sister Sunni is shocked to see him IN a nearby painting, done centuries ago by the mystical artist Fausto Corvo.  So Sunni goes in after him, as does her classmate Blaise and (uh-oh) bad guy Angus.  Soon they're crossing through different layers of the painting, ending up in different lands, encountering some nasty creatures, meeting others "inside" the painting, and having one heck of an adventure as they desperately try to figure out how to get back home. Who can be trusted?  Parts of the story were a bit confusing, but many readers will enjoy the pace and action.

Is it possible to be TOO safe?

You might think so when you read Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner.  Goldie, like all children in the city of Jewel, has been chained to either a parent or Blessed Guardian since the time she could walk.  She's always been bold, though, and when the ceremony on Separation Day is disrupted, she takes the opportunity to run away.  She ends up at the Museum of Dunt; the four keepers take her in, teach her how to survive (she's been so overprotected that she can do little on her own), and show her how to navigate the mysterious, shape-shifting rooms and stairs.  She soon learns that the leader of the Blessed Guardians is power-crazy - he has plans that will destroy not only the museum, but Jewel and all of its residents.  Can Goldie stop him?  Lots of action and adventure in this book, the first of the Keepers Trilogy.  

Magic in the '50s

It's impossible to pick one genre description for The Apothecary by Maile Meloy.  The story includes bits of historical fiction, adventure, mystery, and even fantasy, which makes for an interesting (but sometimes confusing) read.  The time is 1952, and Janie and her family have just moved from the U.S. to London.  Janie becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary (a British term for pharmacist).  After Benjamin's father is apparently kidnapped, the two friends are not only left with a 700-year-old book of magic potions. but they learn that Mr. Burrows is actually part of an international group of scientists that are trying to contain the destructive power of a bomb being developed by the Soviets.  They also contend with a mysterious garden, a teacher who may be a double agent, and Pip, a friendly and mischievous pickpocket.  If you prefer a logical and consistent plot, you may want to pass this one up, but if you enjoy adventure, check it out.

"My career as a swindler and a charlatan"

Oooh, I like clever books like Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan.  Fortunata's father is a shoemaker, but ever since his wife died, he's been making the ugliest shoes imaginable and selling very few.  Fortunata tries to support them by learning the tricks of telling fortunes; by looking for just the right clues (a scar, a type of fabric) she's able to suggest things that are likely to come true.  She is soon required to predict the future for the shy, stuttering Prince Leonato, who's searching for a princess to become his wife.  She comes up with an idea that's fairly far-fetched, and then learns that the fortune must come true, or her father will be put to death.  Readers will notice subtle references to multiple fairy tales (such as Rapunzel and Cinderella), and even though the ending isn't difficult to predict, the pathway to the end takes some unexpected turns.  Part adventure and part romance...this is a fun one!

A cat, a blue jay, and a red-eyed tree frog

An odd combination of animals, but they're the amusing main characters in The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.  Aldwyn, a scrappy alley cat, is on the run after stealing some fish, and he ducks into a store that's filled with animals.  A pet store?  Not quite - these are magical animals that are sold as "familiars" to wizards-in-training.  Before Aldwyn knows it, he's scooped up by Jack and heading for quite a bit of adventure.  Jack's two fellow apprentices have familiars of their own, of course: Skylar, an uppity blue jay, and Gilbert, a very funny (and clueless) tree frog.  When the three magicians are kidnapped, it's up to their familiars to save them....except that Aldwyn hasn't exactly told the others that he has no magical ability whatsoever.  Lots of action and plenty of humor - I wasn't surprised to learn that movie options have already been picked up.

Adventure in medieval England

You may have bad days, but they probably aren't as bad as those for the main character in Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.  Life in 14th-century England is tough enough, but now "Asta's son" is an orphan with no other family and no money.  After learning from the local priest that his name is actually Crispin, the situation gets worse: the priest is murdered, Crispin is falsely accused of the crime, and the evil village steward (John Aycliffe) states that Crispin can be killed on sight. After fleeing, Crispin meets "Bear," a giant of a man who travels around juggling, and the two become traveling companions.  While in the town of Great Wexley, Aycliffe and his men capture Bear in an attempt to trap Crispin.  Will Crispin risk his life to save Bear?  Why is Aycliffe so determined to kill Crispin?  This is a page-turning adventure combined with a fascinating look at life in the Middle Ages.

Tiny mice in a not-so-tiny adventure!

Fans of animal fantasy will probably enjoy the sweet and amusing Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck.  Helena and her younger mouse siblings live in the home of the Cranstons, who have decided to sail for Europe and find a husband for their elder daughter.  After stowing away in the luggage, the mice are soon caught up in life aboard ship, where a sophisticated mouse society ranges from Nigel the (mouse) steward to the Mouse-in-Waiting to Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria.  At the same time, the Cranston daughters are discovering shipboard romance, despite the constant social mistakes of their mother.  It's fun to read about life from a teeny-tiny point of view (like drinking soup out of thimbles!), and the author has a very clever way of turning a phrase.  Pencil illustrations add just the right touch.

Into the mysterious land...of Delaware

Do you like adventure with a heavy does of absurdity and craziness thrown in?  Then Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware by M. T. Anderson is just for you.  The tone of the book is very Indiana Jones-ish (yes, as in the movies), and it's almost impossible to summarize the plot.  Very short version: Jasper and his friends are after the bad guys in the mountainous (you read that correctly) land of Delaware.  Along the way, they encounter staring contests, dinosaurs, cannibals riding kangaroos, vaultapults (like giant spoons, they fling you through the air), Jasper's friend Drgnan Pghlik, a monastery, the evil Team Mom, a ginormous mountain squid, and of course, the blue glow of the flame-pits of Delaware.  Pretty wacky, right?  If you like it, be sure to check out other books in the Pals in Peril series, such as Whales on Stilts! or Zombie Mommy.

Have you ever wished you could fly?

If so, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson will definitely get your attention. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel are six kids living on their own. Why? They started out living in cages in an evil laboratory called the School. They're part of an experiment - they're 98% human and 2% bird! So yes, they have wings and can fly. Sounds pretty cool, except for the fact that the nasty scientists want them back and are chasing them down with the Erasers, wicked mutants of humans and wolves. The adventure starts when the Erasers manage to kidnap Angel and the rest of the gang has to figure out how to get her back. And Max was told she has to save the world - no biggie, right? And what's up with the violent, bizarre headaches and the Voice in her head? There is SO much going on this book...no surprise that it's the first in the Maximum Ride series.

For the Huckleberry Finn in you

Yep, you might think of Mark Twain when you read The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean. It's the 1890s, and Cissy is living in tiny, boring Olive Town, Oklahoma. In order to avoid the diphtheria outbreak, she and two of her friends, Kookie and Tibbie, leave town with the school teacher. They meet up with the Bright Lights Theater Company, an oddball assortment of characters living aboard a rundown paddle wheel boat, the Sunshine Queen. The troupe puts on shows as it travels down the Missouri River, and they usually have great success...and then some kind of trouble, so they have to skedaddle down the river again. Villains, heroes, gamblers, actors, and swindlers are all part of the over-the-top adventures. After a slow start, the story moves at a good pace, but have a dictionary handy: the writing is quite clever, but some of the words (panache, hoicked) might be confusing.

My first Cirque du Freak!

Once again, I was wrong - and that's okay! I honestly didn't think I'd like Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan, but it moved quickly and definitely kept my attention. This is the first book of a trilogy written as a prequel to the Cirque du Freak series, and it tells the story of how Larten Crepsley became a vampire. Sounding like something out of a Dickens novel, Larten had a pretty rotten childhood, complete with working in a nasty factory under a brutal boss. After Larten is on the run (I won't tell you why), he's hiding in a cemetery crypt when he meets Seba, a 500-year-old vampire who asks Larten to be his assistant. The story covers several years, during which Larten meets up with the bizarre Cirque du Freak and eventually becomes "blooded" as a vampire. Is it better to read the prequel and then the regular series, or the other way around? My middle school readers would have the best answer to that....

The action doesn't stop!

I thought the movie was great, and the book was, too: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Rider is 14 and learns that the uncle who has been raising him was killed in a car accident because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. Not believing the reason, Alex finds the car and sees that it's filled with bullet holes. He learns that his uncle was actually a spy, and Alex is soon asked to join Britain's MI6 intelligence agency to continue his uncle's mission. He soon discovers a plan that will kill every school child in England...can Alex stop it before it's too late? Trained and given some pretty cool gadgets, Alex is like a young James Bond. The plot is a bit crazy - would a teenager really be in situations like that? - but the non-stop action and chapter-ending cliffhangers make for a fun, action-packed story. If you like it, check out the other books in the Alex Rider Adventure series.

What a road trip!

The Chicago Auto Show is underway, and I wonder what the characters in Around the World in 100 Days by Gary Blackwood would think of it?  The year is 1891, and most people don't think this new idea of a car is ever going to catch on.  Harry Fogg is a young man with a steam-powered automobile.  For a variety of reasons, he bets that he can travel around the world - about 25,000 miles! - in 100 days.  He's allowed to take boats over water, but other than that, all traveling has to be done in his car. Most of the trip is taken with Johnny, a friend and incredible mechanic; Charles, the son of one of the men he bet against; and Elizabeth, a reporter who dreams of becoming famous.  If the "travel around the world" idea sounds familiar, it's because Harry is the son of fictional character Phileas Fogg, who attempted the voyage (in 80 days) in a book by Jules Verne.  Blackwood's story has adventure, humor, setbacks, danger, and suspicion of sabotage, and the bottom of each page shows which day they're on, which adds to the sense of urgency.  Will they make it in time?

From the author of The Lightning Thief

Fans of The Lightning Thief will probably appreciate author Rick Riordan's newest book, The Red Pyramid.  The formula is similar, but this time the main characters are dealing with gods, magicians, and monsters from Egyptian mythology.  The chapters are told in the alternating voices of siblings Carter and Sadie.  After their father blows up the Rosetta Stone, he's entombed by the gods he released, and the kids are determined to get him back.  After meeting a bunch of bizarre characters and discovering some unusual abilities,  Carter learns that his body (and mind!) are hosting Horus, god of war, while Sadie is hosting Isis, goddess of wisdom.  This is a relatively long book, but there's a lot to like - non-stop adventure, very clever (and funny) dialogue, and a hook for the next book in the series.  The book is confusing at first, but readers who stick with it will be glad they did.

Suddenly, awesomely, stinkingly rich

As you might guess from the title, The Billionaire's Curse by Richard Newsome is a classic example of good news/bad news. When teenager Gerald goes with his parents to London for the funeral of his great-aunt Geraldine, he (and everyone else) is stunned to learn that he inherited a billion pounds!  BUT (you knew this was coming) while his goofball parents take off on a vacation, Gerald is left behind to solve a mystery: Geraldine left him a note saying she knows she was murdered, and it's up to Gerald to find the killer...before the killer finds him.  Most of the story zooms around a stolen diamond, a snooty gentlemen's club, suspects galore, and a pair of twins who befriend Gerald and offer to help figure out what's going on.  There were a bit too many coincidences for my taste, and I thought the end of story was mighty Indiana Jones-ish, but it was still a fun read.

Ride 'em, cowgirl!

Hold on to your hat, and get ready for an adventure - the action doesn't stop in The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis. After being orphaned, sisters Sallie and Maude March live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with stern Aunt Ruthie, but when she gets killed by a gunslinger's stray bullet, they're orphaned again. The girls disguise themselves as boys, take a couple of horses, and head to Independence, Missouri to try to find their only remaining relative, Uncle Arlen. Along the way, they always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (like bank robberies), and soon the papers are full of articles on "Mad" Maude March and the crimes she (supposedly) committed. Sallie makes a pretty amusing narrator and it was fun to read about life on the prairie, but I didn't think the story line was always convincing - the appearances of Marion seemed to be too coincidental after a while, and the girls' attitude when Willie got killed was too indifferent. I liked the strong female characters, though, and I bet this would be a fun book to read aloud.

Can you keep a secret?

Well, this really isn't a secret - this book was a blast! A wacky combination of humor, mystery, and adventure, The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books I used to read with my kids. Cass and her friend Max-Ernst discover two things left behind by a supposedly dead magician: a notebook (with missing pages, of course) and the "Symphony of Smells," a box containing vials of different scents. Soon they discover that the creepy Dr. L. and his equally creepy partner Ms. Mauvais want the notebook, too, because they think it contains the secret to...what? Immortality? And what does synesthesia - a confusion of the senses - have to do with it all? If you like action, riddles, and The Series of Unfortunate Events, put THIS book on your reading list.

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's a whale?

This was a new genre for me: steampunk. It's like science fiction, but it's set in the past. In Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (yes, the author of the Uglies series), the story takes place during the time of World War I. Prince Alek's own people of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have turned on him, and he's on the run in a Stormwalker - an amazing mechanical contraption made by the Clankers. Deryn has disguised herself as a boy so that she can enter the British Air Service. She ends up on the Leviathan, a wildly imaginative (and living!) airship creation of the Darwinists. War is threatening, and when Alek and Deryn's paths cross, they're in for quite an adventure. Westerfeld does a great job making the inventions and "fabricated beasties" both fascinating and plausible for the time frame of the book, and Keith Thompson's detailed illustrations helped me picture the excitement. About the only thing I didn't like was the book's ending...it needs to be completed with a sequel.